TV Theme Songs from the ’90s Are Like Old Friends

I sported the Jennifer Aniston haircut. I threw the Melrose Place watching parties. I bawled (every time) Joey and Dawson broke up. I started college in 1990, beginning what would be a decade of newfound independence, painful reality checks, entry-level salaries, and romantic heartbreaks. The characters from the era’s primetime soaps and hit sitcoms were my companions. We were learning about life together. A few opening chords from the Beverly Hills 90210 theme song can still take me right back to my days hanging with Brenda, Brandon, Andrea, and the gang. Here are my favorite theme songs from the ’90s:

Dawson’s Creek
“I don’t want to wait for our lives to be over. I want to know right now, what will it be.” The song made Paula Cole marginally famous and every week kicked off one of the all-time best teen soap operas. Unlike characters on today’s Gossip Girls, Dawson and Joey were unapologetically earnest. Just thinking about Dawson, dressed in his sweater vest, walking through the marsh grass in Joey’s backyard makes me nostalgic.

http://www.televisiontunes.com/Dawsons_Creek.html

Beverly Hills 90210
The cheesy instrumental was the perfect musical backdrop for the show’s opener—with the cast goofing around, putting their arms around each other, and being silly. Am I the only one who remembers how the whole group lifted Donna (clad in pink pants) up or how Brandon threw a few fake punches Dylan’s way? The jokesters! They had so much fun being teenagers! That’s why I was friends with them!

http://www.televisiontunes.com/Beverly_Hills_90210_-_1990.html

Ally McBeal
Music was a big deal at Ally’s wacky law firm. Remember how Barry White’s voice used to appear out of nowhere? And how the lawyers took turns singing at the mike during happy hour? The words of the theme song certainly captured Ally’s determination to find love, despite all her emotional issues (remember the dancing baby who haunted her?) and ridiculously short skirts: “I have made mistakes in my life that I just can’t hide, but I believe I am ready for what love has to bring.”

http://www.televisiontunes.com/Ally_McBeal.html